


Undeclared

by BuffyAngel68



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-20
Updated: 2011-08-20
Packaged: 2017-10-22 20:46:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/242412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuffyAngel68/pseuds/BuffyAngel68
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the midst of Nick's recovery post-GD, Warrick has an epiphany.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Undeclared

**Author's Note:**

> Loved the opening epi of the 6th season except for one thing: My reaction to the direction they took Warrick's character in was "Oh no you did NOT!" so I have to fix it. His reasoning is the same, but he chooses a very different path

"Nick! Damn it, bro, I know you're home. C'mon, Nick. Open up."

Nick Stokes sighed heavily and turned his gaze to the door. For over ten minutes he'd been listening to Warrick Brown knock and shout. Throughout the insistent barrage, Nick had been silently asking God to make his best friend give up and go away, but his pleas had gone unanswered. Finally, Nick stood, moved to the front door and opened it.

"Rick." He greeted his friend wearily.

"About time! What took you so long? You gonna let me in?"

"Look, I'm really not up for company, okay?"

"My TV's busted an' the game's in an hour. Be the good guy, not to mention obsessive all-around sports fan, that I know you are. Stand aside."

Nick smiled lightly and shook his head.

"Lame excuse, my man."

"Fine. So I'm missin' my best friend. You've been holed up in here for two months, Nicky. I've seen you out an' about, what, twice? I just wanna talk for a while. Make sure you're..."

"What? Holdin' it together? Not seein' creepy crawlies that ain't there?"

"You went through sheer hell, Nick. You got every right to go a little crazy... an' I have a right to worry and check up on you." Warrick responded quietly, lowering his chin and turning just his eyes up to meet Nick's somber gaze.

"You earned that, I guess. C'mon in."

Grinning, Warrick readily accepted the invitation, though he was well aware the hardest part of his plan had yet to be executed. He could only hope Nick wouldn't execute *him* when he finally got the nerve to bring up the subject he'd actually gone there to discuss. "You want a beer?" Nick asked over his shoulder as he opened the fridge to grab himself one. Warrick conducted a brief internal debate, seriously considering the benefits of alcohol as a courage-enhancer, but he eventually decided against it.

"No thanks. I'll take a tall ice water, though."

"No problem. Have a seat on the sofa, m'man. I'll bring it out."

Warrick took the suggestion, but not immediately. For a few moments, he paused, watching Nick move around his small kitchen, gathering ice into a glass and filling it from a filtered pitcher in the refrigerator. It struck him suddenly how normal and everyday the scene was and he had to wonder when it would stop feeling that way. When would he get over being shocked and heart-wrenchingly grateful every time he realized Nick was alive and still able to perform mundane tasks like pouring a simple glass of water?

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Warrick turned and moved toward the couch, Nick only a few steps behind him. Once both had settled in, Warrick organized his thoughts and opened his mouth to speak, but, to his surprise, nothing came out. Gazing at Nick a little sheepishly, the other man tried again, but he just couldn't manage to speak. "You okay, Rick?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just... thirsty." He replied, chugging half the water in the glass before setting it down on one of the coasters that were always on Nick's coffee table. The Texan was a stickler about moisture rings on his furniture. He claimed his mother had drilled the habit into him, but Warrick knew it was actually a rabid neat-streak and cleaning passion that Nick rarely admitted to, blithely claiming fears for his masculinity. Each time the protest came up, Warrick longed to express that, in his eyes, nothing would ever make Nick less of a man, but his throat always closed up, forcing the words back down, just as it was doing now.

At last, when Warrick had gone several minutes without making another attempt at speech, Nick narrowed his eyes and sat forward slightly.

"Spill it."

"Excuse me?"

"Spill it. You were tryin' to say something a minute ago. I can tell it's eatin' your insides like acid. C'mon, man. Just tell me."

"I don't do things that way, Nicky. I can't just give it up, like I'm pukin' all over your carpet or somethin'."

Nick grimaced.

"Nice imagery."

"Mmm. Yeah. Sorry."

"No, I get what you mean. Talkin' to somebody about stuff you'd rather not... it is a little like gettin' sick. You hold off as long as you possibly can, 'cause you're thinkin' "It'll go away. If I just wait a couple minutes longer, it'll feel better, I know it." You're always wrong."

"So you're..."

"... in therapy. I had to. Gris and Cath made sure."

"Hey, they care. We all do. I... all of us were crazy that night, Nicky. Totally insane..."

"You were anyway." Nick responded with a tight, cautious smile, unsure how Warrick would react. The other man straightened up abruptly, face and body tense.

"How did you..."

"Security camera tapes. Grissom didn't want me to watch 'em, but I needed to see. Down there... I felt alone, left for dead. I had to know it wasn't true. When you went ballistic... it was 'cause I shot the light out, right?"

"God... the whole screen went dark an' just for a second... I thought maybe you just couldn't take it anymore. I'm so sorry, Nick..."

"Hell with that, man. You thought I took myself out. I understand."

"No you don't. I'm not sorry I lost it. I'm... I'm sorry for what else went through my head in that split second. I knew we were gonna find you. I knew that with everything inside me, but if you'd given up and used your gun... I had this completely selfish moment where I swore I wouldn't look at you. I wouldn't go with the rest of the guys when they pulled you out, I wouldn't go near the morgue... Then you snapped that chem-lite. I went from misery to relief so fast I almost passed out right there on the floor."

"I know. I heard... saw. What you were feelin' wasn't selfish, Rick. It... it's what I would've wanted. You're the last person in my life I'd want seein ' me if I'd..."

"Yeah. Goes both ways. I can't help thinkin'..."

"No. Don't say that, don't even think it." Nick countered, reaching out to grip Warrick's forearm. "No shoulda, woulda coulda, okay? It was a coin flip for God's sake."

"If it'd gone the other way..."

"Damn it, will you quit? Please? Cath told me you thought you wouldn't have lasted as long as I did in there. I know different. You're way stronger than I am. Plus you would've had the same advantage I did."

A shiver traveled the length of Warrick's spine and he fought to keep his feelings off his face. Somehow, he sensed what Nick was going to say next, but wasn't sure if he was ready to hear it or not.

{Hell, I came here to say it to him! Now suddenly I'm turning chickenshit 'cause he's gonna beat me to the punch? I don't think so. C'mon, Brown. Cowboy up and ask the question. He's waiting on you...}

"Yeah? What advantage is that?"

"Knowin' there was somethin' I never said... an' that someone out here needed to hear it."

"Nick..."

"No, lemme finish. You an' me... we've been like brothers ever since we first met, practically. We fought, we competed, we teased each other... you were the closest thing to family I had out here. What I saw and heard on that tape, though... that wasn't you thinkin' you lost a brother. That was somebody rippin' out your heart an' soul. Hearin' you scream at me, call me an SOB... I knew I wasn't the only one keepin' secrets."

Warrick quickly caressed Nick's face then pulled back, confusion and release warring for control of his expression

"Damn. I came here today thinkin' I'd be the one to confess. Now... I'm kind of at loose ends. I don't know what to do."

"Say what you came here to say."

"You were like a brother to me... but you're right. When I thought you were gone somethin' in me fell apart an' started to die. I love you... I came here today to tell you that and find out if... if we were on the same page or even in the same book."

"I think we are." Nick responded, now slowly running his hand from Warrick's wrist to his elbow and back.

"We've both got so much baggage..."

"Enough to spend a year in Antarctica." Nick agreed.

"So... do we have even an outside chance of making this work?"

"I don't know. Depends."

"On what?"

"How you kiss."

Fascinated, Nick watched Warrick nervously flick his tongue out to moisten his upper lip and felt a flush begin to steal up from his collar. A moment later he was leaning forward, eyes locked on Warrick's lips and his mouth swiftly moving to replace his intent gaze. A gentle hand on his chest broke him out of his mild trance state.

"Nick, hold up a minute..."

"Huh? Oh... God, now I'm the one who's sorry, man... I didn't... I mean..."

"Stop. I want this to happen. Believe me I do. I just... have you ever..."

"No. Thought about it, never had the balls to make a move that might lead to..."

"Yeah. Me either."

"So we're on equal footing. Fumbling and laughter at the wrong moment won't be so embarrassing. That's good to know. Can we kiss now?"

"Hell, yeah..."

Fighting down his fear and ignoring the strangeness of seeing Nick's face so close up, Warrick tensed and reflexively closed his eyes as supple, tentative lips brushed over his. His uncertainty only lasted a few seconds, however. Within a minute he was participating eagerly in the kiss, even tracing Nick's lips with his tongue and bringing his hands up to cradle the younger man's face. They only broke apart when Nick realized he was being gradually eased onto his back.

"Rick... God, wait..."

"What? You okay?"

"More than. I...I just need to know how far we're takin' this."

"Right now, or at some point in the future?"

"Right now."

"I'm up for seein' where the moment leads us." Warrick replied, dropping another lingering kiss on Nick's partly open mouth.

Nick hesitated for a moment, but even in the lull, Warrick's presence was affecting him deeply. His erection kept slowly growing and the sense of rightness and damage being repaired grew with it, until Nick believed he'd never felt as strong or as complete as he did in that moment, looking up into Warrick's intensely beautiful eyes. Allowing a shaky smile to grace his lips, Nick finished the journey down into the softness of the cushions without the need for further persuasion by his soon-to-be lover. Bracing himself over Nick, the other man retuned the grin. "Guess you're up for it too."

"Check out my button-fly's, you'll have your answer." Nick responded quietly. Warrick's gaze moved swiftly down to Nick's groin. He licked his lips again, pulling a strangled moan from the man under him.

"Don't *do* that! You gotta quit before I lose it right here an' now!"

"Do what? Lick my lips?"

"Right, like you don't know what you're doin' to me..."

"I swear I didn't, but I'll file it away... for that 'point in the future', you know." Warrick said, slowly lowering his body close enough to resume kissing Nick.

"Mmmm... God, you taste so good..."

"So do you, babe... who knew... beer could taste better... on somebody else's lips... than drinkin' it yourself..."

Warrick grinned wickedly and licked the corner of Nick's mouth, causing the younger man to startle, briefly push his hips up and grunt in pleasure.

"Gahh! More... I need more..."

"Like what? Tell me an' I'll try to do it... I promise I'll try..."

"Skin on skin. Please... touch me..."

"Oh I can handle that..."

Sitting back on his heels, Warrick reached out for Nick's jeans, but redirected his fingers at the last minute and tugged the other man's shirt out of his waistband.

"Wha... what are you doin' ?"

"Relax. Just livin' out a fantasy. I've wanted to do this for so long..."

A moment later, wet heat slid over Nick's stomach and along the waistband of his jeans, dipping into his navel and tracing the outline of his well-defined abs, made easier when Nick sucked in a deep, surprised breath and couldn't seem to release it again. Warrick helped him by pushing the untucked shirt up to Nick's armpits and gently chewing on an exposed nipple.

"Ahhh! Damn you..."

"Couldn't let you stop breathin', now could I?"

"You... are evil..."

"Sometimes, yeah. Brave... we're about to test that. Hang on..."

Working carefully, knowing he could hurt Nick if he forced the process, Warrick unbuttoned the jeans, pushed fabric aside and down and eventually released Nick's cock. For a long moment the beauty of their different skin tones side by side held him suspended in wonder, but a ground-out plea from his lover reminded Warrick what he was supposed to be doing.

"Rick... please..."

"I hear you, babe. You're just so gorgeous. Thick, long an' heavy... just like I dreamed."

"You dr... dreamed about me? About my body?"

"Too many times to count." Warrick confirmed, running his palm firmly up the underside of Nick's cock, captivated by the way his touch made the rigid flesh twitch against Nick's belly.

"I dreamed about... those piano player's hands... runnin' all over me..."

"Not my tongue?" Warrick teased, wrapping his hand all the way around and beginning slow strokes.

"Wish I'd... thought of it. Didn't latch onto... that 'till today... ah, hell... I'm close... gonna come... can't stop it..."

"Don't try. It's okay. Let go, Nicky... let go... I'm here. Go on an' fall. I'll catch you, I swear... "

Nick groaned, cried out and clutched at the couch cushions with spasming fingers as his release washed over him and the evidence of it covered Warrick's hand and his own abdomen. It took several minutes for Nick's breathing to slow to anything approaching normal, but the moment he recovered he pounced on Warrick and drove him the other direction, intent on returning the favor.

Half an hour later, the two were stretched out on top of each other, languidly kissing and touching while Warrick descended from his orgasm and tried to stop panting.

"We don't... get up soon... we'll be super-glued together..." Warrick advised, arching his neck slightly as Nick laid a string of licks up his throat, stopping briefly to nibble on his Adam's apple before moving on.

"Okay with me."

" 'Course you, uh... you keep that up... I'll be addin' more adhesive any time now..."

"You recover that quick, do you? I'll file that away... for the future..."

"Actually... it usually takes me a couple hours... but then... you turn me on like nobody else in the world, so... who knows?"

Nick pulled back a little and produced a wicked grin that was the equal of the one Warrick had thrown him earlier.

"We *are* scientists... an' all good scientists know the only way to find the answers... is to experiment."

"Damn... I had to open my big mouth..." Warrick mock groaned. He wanted more as badly as Nick obviously did, but felt he had to voice at least a token protest, hoping to delay the time when Nick discovered how easily he, and he alone, could make a willing sex slave out of his new lover.

"We'll get to that. All in good time, my man. All in good time."

"Twenty minutes from now okay with you?"

"I can deal with that..."

\--------------------------

END


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